This disclosure relates generally to social networking systems, and more specifically to regulating performance of actions of a machine via a social networking system.
An online system, such as a social networking system, allows its users to connect to and communicate with other online system users. Users may create profiles on an online system that are tied to their identities and include information about the users, such as interests and demographic information. The users may be individuals or entities such as corporations or charities. Establishing connections with other users via an online system allows a user to more easily share content with the other users.
Additionally, users are increasingly able to access various machines via client devices, allowing users to remotely configure and control their machines. For example, users may modify thermostat settings via an application executing on a mobile device or retrieve vehicle diagnostic information using another application executing on the mobile device. However, different applications are associated with different machines, making it inconvenient for a user to remotely configure or control multiple machines.
Further, conventional applications for remotely controlling a machine limit control of the machine to a user having an application associated with the machine installed on a client device. But a user may benefit if additional users are capable of accessing a machine associated with the user to retrieve information or to perform actions via the machine. Conventional systems require each user accessing a machine to have an application associated with the machine installed on a client device associated with the user, which allows multiple users to control or access the machine but makes it impractical for a user to regulate or limit interactions with the machine other users are authorized to perform.